Controller for electric circuits.



PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.

H. KA NMAGHER. I CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 22.1904.

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N N H Semi-i. Kanmcheh.

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No! 820,877. PATENTED MAY 15, 1906. s. H. KANMAGHER.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

' APPLICATION ILLED JUNE22.1'904.

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SAM H. KANMAOHER, OF SUHENEC'IADY, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO GE!- ERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC Cancun-s.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1906.

Application filed June 22, 1904. Serial No. 213.589.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAM H. KANMAoHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, haveinvented certainnew and useful Improvements in Controllers for ElectricCircuits, or" which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to controllers for electrio circuits, and isparticularly applicable to systems employing local and distant control.

In an application for United States Letters Patent, Seria No. 208,892,filed by Arthur A. Buck May 20, 1904, and assigned to the GeneralElectric Company, is described a s stem of control for motor-operatedbulkhead doors and similar devices. In this system a controlling-switchfor the motor is placed at each door which is arranged to connect themotor for raising and lowering the door. A solenoid is provided formoving each switch to the proper position to connect the motor forlmvering the door. -By means of these solenoids a number of doors may beclosed from a distant point. The switch is furthermore arranged so thatit may be moved manually to either position for raising or lowering thedoor without disturbing the circuit of the solenoid. In this way a manat the door can take control away from the distant station temporarily,so as to raise the door, but when he releases the switch it will returnto the position for lowering the door, provided the circuit oi thesolenoid has been closed at the distant point.

In an application, Serial No. 213,254, filed by J. W. Kellogg June 20,1904, and assigned to theGeneral Electric Company, is disclosed amodified arrangement of a switch and its operative connections for sucha system. In the arrangement of this latter application both operativepositions are placed on the same side of the oif position, the loweringposition being between the oil and the raising position. With thisarrangement it is not necessary to move the switch through the offposition when shifting it from lowering to raising, and since thismovement is against the tension of the spring this reduction of thenecessary length of movement is an advantage. The operative connectionsof the switch are modified so as to permit a control similar to that inthe first-mentioned application. In the arrangements described in bothof the above applications two sm'ings are connected to thedistant-control device.

em loyed. One spring, which serves norma ly to hold the switch in offposition,B is y straining this spring the distant-control dcviee isenabled to shift the switch to an operative position. The second springconnects the switch to the distant-control device. By straining thislatter spring manually the switch may be moved to its other operativeposition without disturbing the distant-control device.

My invention consists in an improvement in the switch described in thelatter of thc above-mentioned applications, in which both operativepositions are on the same side of the oil position. 7 arrangement of theswitch-contacts to dis pensc with one of the springs. I employ a singlespring connected directly to the switch to hold it normally in offposition, and I eniploy simply a lost-motion connection between theswitch and the distant-control device to permit the desired movement ofth switch withoutilisturbingsaid device. By lost motion I mean a looseyet positive direct mechanical engagement between the two parts.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 shows a front elevation of acontrolling-switch and its operating mechanism arranged in accordancewith my invention, the front part of the casing being removed. Fig. 2shows a side elevation of the same, the casing being shown incross-section; and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the electricalconnections of the several parts of the switch as employed in a systemfor the local and distant control oi one or more motors.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, K represents a water-tight'casing, inwhich is journaled the shaft 0, which is rotatable by means of thehand-wheels a, one or both of which may carry an index a. llvilOUllllfidon the shaft a. is the movable switch member A, which carries thel'novable contacts to c", three of these contacts being shown in Fig. 1.Supported from the casing are stationary (',ontacts tof, which arearranged in two groups of four each, as showi'i. These contacts are sopositioned that when the switch member A is moved to bring ontact intoengagement with contactj, as shown in. Fig.

I take advantage of this TOO f respectively.

position.

1, contact 0 will be brought into engagement with contact f and when themotion of movable member A is continued to bring contact 0 intoengagement with finger f contact c will be brought into engagement withfin gerf". Movable member A is normally held in the ol'l' position, asshown by a tension-spring F, one end of which is connected to a pin f onthe casing and the other end to a pin g on the cam-plate G, carried byshaft a. The tension of the spring F presses cam-plate G against thestop g, mounted on the casing. Since both operative positions are on thesame side of the off position, a single spring suflices for holding the.switch normally at ol'l' position.

H is a pivoted member carrying the roller 7t and pressed against thesurface of camplate G by the tension-spring I. The camplate is shaped sothat roller h is brought into engagement with the shoulder {1 when theshaft a is moved to bring contact 0 into engagen'icnt with finger MemberH thus forms a yielding stop which enables the shaft to be moved quicklyand positively to its first position. l

The distant control is accomplished by means of the solenoid B, which isprovided with a movable core I). Core Z: engages the lever D, pivoted atd, which carries at its forward end the link E. Link E is provided witha pin which engages a slot 6 in the movable switch member A. Thesolenoid B is provided with a stop I), which limits the upward movementof core 5 when solenoid B is energized. This stop is so posltioned thatwhen solenoid B is energized member A is rotated a sui'licient amount tobring contacts 0 and 0" into engagement with fingers f and This positionof the contacts connects the motor for lowering the door, as will behereinafter described.

If a man at the door desires to raise the door while the solenoid isenergized. and the switch is in the position forlowering, he can rotatethe shaft amanually to bring contacts c and c into engagement withlingers and f", respectively, which is the position for raising thedoor, as will be hereinafter described. This movement from lowering toraising posilion is freely permitted by the lost-motion connecti nbetween the core I) and switch member A, formed by the pimand slot. Theslot is made of suflicient lrngth to permit the necessary nn'iven'ientof niemb r A in passin; from lowering to raisingpositi'in. Vtnensolenoid i3 is not energized, shaftc may obviously be freely moved toeither lowering in rai ing position. In passing from the ff position. asshbwn in Fig. l, to lowering position, link l; will not be moved, sincethe d t is of sullicient length to enable the. member A to be moved fromoff to lowering II it is desired to pass through the l l l l l l l llower end of slot (2 will engage the pin carried by link E and the coreI) will be raised, or if slot 0 is made long enough core I) will not bemoved. In either case the construction of the switch permits of freemanual control, while, on the other hand, since the solenoidxcircuit isnot disturbed by the manual control, the switch will return to the oll'or lowering position when released by hand, according as thesolenoid-circuit is opened or closed.

In Fig. 8 is shown a diagram of the circuit connections of the switch asemployed in a system. of local and remote control having a plurality ofmotors. Two motors M and M are indicated with two controlling-sudtithesC and C L represents a source of current connected to the line-wires ZZ. B and B represent the windings of the solenoids, by means of whichthe switches are moved to lowering position from a distance,as has beenheretofore described. These solenoidshave their circuits completedthrough the switches S and S, which. are at the distant-control station.E and it represent two resistances which are connected always in circuitwith the motors, so that in case the motor-circuit is not broken whenthe door has reached the extremity of its travel and the motor hasstopped, the current through the motors will be kept at a value too lowto injure the motors. The resistances r and r are connected in shunt tothe motor-armatures when the motors are connected for lowering the door.The purpose of these resistances is to produce a strong field, therebypreventing the motor from racing and giving it a high torque for closingthe door.

The circuit connections are follows: When the switch (I is moved intoits lirst or lowering position, either manually or by means of thesolenoid B, a circuit is closed as follows: from line-wire Z to fingcrf,to contact 0''. Here the current divides, part passing through 'fingcrfand nrotor-armature M and part passing to contact 'iingerf andresistance '1'. Resistance 1' is thus placed in shunt withmotor-armature M. The current then passes through resistance it, lingerf contact contact 0 iingerf", motor-field m, 'l'ingerf", contact 6,contact a", linger and line-wire l. When the controller L is moved.toits second or raising position, the resistance 1' is opini-circuitedand the motor-field is reowning po l l o o the raising position, theside of the door the controller has to be placed It will be noted thatone fin er is left blank in both controllers, the blank inger beingdiiierent in the two.

Other arrangements and connections of the controller-contact may ofcourse be em ployed without departing from the spirit of my invention.Furthermore, 'changes may be made in the construction and arrangement ofthe several parts of the control-switch Accordingly, I aim to cover allsuch modifications which are within the spirit and scope of myinvention. 7

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is.-'

'1. In combination, a switch having a plurality of operative positionson one side of its off position, means controllable from a distance formovin said switch to an operative position, a stop lor said moving meansto arrest said switch at said position, a lost-motion connection betweensaid moving means and said switch whereby the movement of the switcn maybe continued manually to another operative position, and means connected directly to said switch for holding the switch normally in offposition.

2. In combination, a switch having a plurality of operative positions onone side of its off position, an electroresponsive device adapted andarranged to move said switch to an operative position, a lost-motionconnection between said device and said switch whereby the movement ofsaid switch may be continued manually to another operative positionwithout moving said device, and

means connected directly to said switch for holding the switch normallyin oil position.

3. In combination, a switch having a plurality of operative positions onone side of its oil position, an electromagnet adapted and arranged tomove said switch to an operative position, a stop for arresting themovement of said electromagnet when said switch reaches said operativeposition, a lost-motion connection between said switch and saidelectromagnet whereby the movement of said switch may be continuedmanually to another operative position, and means connected lirectly tosaid switch for holding the switch normallyin oil position.

4. In combination, a switch having a plurality of operative positions onone side of its ingsaid switch when in off position, an electroresponsi-ve device adapted and arranged to move SillClSWlilCh awayfrom said stop to an operative position, a lost-motion connectionbetween said devlcc and said swltch whereby the movement of'said switchmay be continued manually to another operative position without movingsaid device, and a spring connected directly to said switch and normallypressing the switch against said step. c

' 6. In combination, a switch, a stop engaging said switch when in offposition, an electroresponsive device adapted and arranged to move saidswitch away from said stop to an operative position, means for arrestingsaid device when the switch reaches said operative position, alost-motion connection between said switch and said device whereby themovement of said switch may be continued .manually to another operativeposi tion, and a spring connected dlrectly to said switch and normallypressing the switch against said step. I

7. In combination with an electric motor, a reversing-switch for saidmotor having both operative positions on. one side of its oil' position,means controllable from a distance for moving said switch to one of itsoperative positions, a lost-motion connection between said switch andsaid moving means whereby the movement of said switch may be continuedmanually to the other operative position, and means connected directlyto said switch for holding the switch normally in off position. a

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of June,1904.

' SAM H. KANMACHER. l/Vitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD.

